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Tuesday, 28 October 2014

To
ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether G4S records (a)
telephone calls made to it by asylum seekers who have ended the call as they
have not been able to explain that they need an interpreter and (b) all other
telephone calls received in connection with its contract to deliver
accommodation for asylum seekers.

James
Brokenshire
(Minister of State (Home Office) (Security and Immigration); Old Bexley and
Sidcup, Conservative)

All
providers are required under the COMPASS contracts to provide a minimum level
of support to asylum seekers accommodated in their properties, this includes
briefing the service user in a language that they understand, on how to contact
the provider and the Home Office to make complaints.

G4S
does make a record of all telephone calls they receive from asylum applicants
accommodated in their property and refers service users to their interpreters
where it is clear that an interpreter is required.

Monday, 27 October 2014

Wick
Sheriff Court has required the use of foreign speaking interpreters seven times
to carry out criminal cases during this year.

A
freedom of information request from the Scottish Court Service has revealed
between January and August 2014, Wick Sheriff Court has required Polish and
Mandarin translators on seven occasions to carry out criminal cases.

Cases
have included two assaults, two assaults to injury and two drug offences along
with an offence of the Criminal Justice & Licensing Act.

Other
foreign nationals have appeared at Wick Sheriff Court this year but have not
required the use of an interpreter.

Thursday, 23 October 2014

A charity that supports women affected
by sexual abuse has expressed "deep concern" after it emerged a
convicted sex attacker acted as a translator for vulnerable female asylum
seekers.

The
Evening Times exclusively revealed last night that Misrak Eyob has access to
asylum seekers represented by city lawyers Katani and Co.

The
24-year-old Eritrean was jailed for four years in 2009 for attempted rape and
told he must be supervised for a further two years on his release.

Dawn
Fyfe, director of Glasgow-based Say Woman, said: "We would be concerned
that someone who has a conviction for sex offending would not only have access
to survivors of sexual abuse but would be responsible for interpreting their
experiences.

"We
would hope that any organisation which has any- thing to do with vulnerable
people would take every step to ensure that they are not put at risk."

It
is understood Eyob, who works on a freelance basis, is not on the Scottish
Legal Aid Board's register.

The
Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) pays up to £30 an hour for interpretation
services.

Solicitors
are reimbursed for the money they spend on translators.

A
SLAB spokesman said: "It is the solicitor's duty to ensure that the
interpreter is appropriate and suitably qualified."

The
majority of Eritreans who seek asylum in the UK are given legal aid and
immigration lawyers Katani and Co earned more than half a million pounds from
SLAB last year alone.

The
Evening Times understands the watchdog responsible for regulating Scotland's
solicitors is likely to be in touch with Katani and Co following our
revelations.

A
spokeswoman at the Law Society of Scotland urged clients to complain if they
have concerns.

She
said: "It's important for clients and the public to be able to have
complete faith in their solicitor."

Misrak
Eyob attacked a 35-year-old woman in July 2009 in Royston.

During
his trial he blamed 'the devil' for his actions.

Eyob,
who had been in Scotland seven months at the time of the attack, was found
guilty and jailed for four years.

Judge
Sean Murphy QC also ordered that Eyob be supervised for a further two years on
his release.

A
spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "Registered sex offenders are
supervised in the community via the Multi- Agency Public Protection
Arrangements, also known as MAPPA.

"Either
police or social work staff will take the lead on monitoring an individual,
depending on the circumstances of a particular case.

"From
a social work perspective such individuals are considered as clients of social
work services and we therefore have a legal duty to respect their confidentiality.

"We
cannot discuss an individual case."

A
Scottish Government spokeswoman also declined to comment on Misrak Eyob's case
but said: "Any person receiving a sentence of more than two and a half
years is required to tell employers about their past offending when going for a
job.

"This
ensures employers can know about a person's background when deciding whether to
employ them.

"Such
offenders are worked with on an individual basis to ensure effective risk
management, public protection, harm reduction, and rehabilitation."

A
spokeswoman for Katani and Co declined to comment. Misrak Eyob could not be
reached for comment.

Jewellery raid
preliminary hearing adjourned until tomorrow as Romanian interpreter could not
be found

A
preliminary hearing for three men facing charges of burgling the Leslie Davis
jewellers has been adjourned until tomorrow.

Bogdan
Acsinte, aged 27, of Colegrave Road, Stratford, London; Robert Caia, aged 27,
of Prosser Street, Wolverhampton; and Gheorghe Cretu, aged 26, of no fixed
abode, were charged with conspiracy to commit a burglary other than a dwelling with
intent to steal.

The
charge relates to a conspiracy to burgle a number of jewellers between August
1 and October 16, in which offenders entered as a trespasser with intent
to steal at Swag Jewellers, Beaverbrooks, Ernest Jones and Gordon Scotts in Watford,
Hertfordshire, on August 29 2014 and Leslie Davies Jewellers in Milton Keynes
on Thursday (October 16).

But
despite being scheduled to appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court this
afternoon, the case was adjourned until tomorrow morning as a Romanian
interpreter could not be found to translate for them during proceedings.

They
were remanded in custody overnight to appear again tomorrow morning.

Bosses
at the Peterborough Safeguarding Children Board (PSCB) have been asked to
ensure information is available in foreign languages following the murder of a
Lithuanian baby.

Safeguarding
bosses in Peterborough have asked for assurances translation services at the
Bretton hospital are available for patients who speak foreign languages.

The
call came after the death of Aukse Medvedevaite who was less than two months
old when she was murdered by her father, Aurimas Medvedevas (23) at their home
in Clifton Avenue, West Town, Peterborough on 5 September 2014.

In
their review of the case, published this week, the PSCB said: “The PSCB should
seek reassurance from the Peterborough & Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust that key information is available, and is distributed, in the main
languages which correspond with the population mix in its catchment area.”

The
report said all the documentation given to Aukse’s mother, Dzesika Urbikaite,
was in English, which she found difficult to understand, and no interpreter was
‘engaged’ during her interaction with health professionals.

Sam
Hunt, Named Nurse for Safeguarding Children at Peterborough and Stamford
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our antenatal clinic teams are clear on
the need to offer both interpreters and translated patient information to women
if they suspect this would have a greater benefit, even to those women and
their partners who speak a fairly reasonable standard of English.”

The
report said the death of Aukse could not have been predicted by any agency, and
midwife and GP services given to the baby and her mother, was appropriate.

The
report added when Aukse arrived at accident and emergency on the day of her
death, the ‘immediate procedures, emergency response, and support for the
family were all carried out in an appropriate and professional manner.’

Factfile

Communication
with police important

Along
with raising issues about translation, the report also said: “The PSCB should
seek clarification that Police and other agencies are notified as soon as
possible in regards to all Sudden Unexpected Childhood Deaths and that there is
no practice or procedure which could potentially create a delay in making such
a referral.”

Sam
Hunt said: “We are reviewing our procedures around Sudden Unexplained Childhood
Deaths and will work with our frontline staff to ensure they are made fully
aware of any changes.”

A
spokesman for Cambridgeshire police added: “We welcome the publication of the
serious case review and will be working with partner agencies to ensure its
recommendations are carried out.”

Aurimas
Medvedevas was given a life sentence, and told he would serve a minimum of 22
years behind bars after admitting the murder of his defenceless baby.

A
court heard Aukse had suffered injuries comparable with a car crash in a brutal
assault.

He
originally denied murder, but part way through a trial at the Old Bailey in
London made the dramatic guilty pleas.